A Durga puja pandal that flouted the height rule. A Telegraph picture

After failing to enforce the high court-approved Durga puja guidelines, Calcutta police find themselves in a spot over their implementation during Kali puja.

“Our reports say 761 pujas did not abide by all the norms specified by the high court. But we are geared up to ensure that these guidelines are implemented during Kali puja. Senior police officers will meet on Wednesday to chalk out a plan,” said police chief Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti on Tuesday.

During inspection, police found that more than 60 per cent of the 1,125 pujas in the city had violated one or more guidelines. “There are around 2,400 Kali pujas in the city, double the number of Durga pujas. We will hold a meeting with puja organisers on October 9 to ensure the implementation of all the norms. We have also prepared leaflets that will be distributed among Kali puja organisers,” Chakrabarti said.

A senior IPS officer, however, told Metro that the police do not have a specific plan of action against puja violators yet and that there were a number of issues that needed to be resolved before the norms could be properly implemented.

“How can we monitor 2,400 Kali pujas when we could not firm up an action plan for 1,125 pujas? It’s a tall order and simply impossible,” he said.

According to the officer, the police should lay down the law to organisers before a pandal is erected to minimise norm violations.

The high court guidelines state, among other things, that pandals must not be more than 40ft high and organisers should leave 4ft open on all four sides. “It is still not clear what we are supposed to do if puja organisers violate these norms. We have not even been told whether such violations are bailable offences or not,” said an officer of Kalighat police station.